


wherein everyone pines after tony

by monhale



Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, High School AU, M/M, Protective Behavior, Sisterhood, TonyNat brotp, cheerleader tony - Freeform, cheerleaders and football players, coach thanos is slightly inappropriate but not like enough to go to jail, everyone loves tony, jan is precious protect her always, jantony brotp - Freeform, loki and tony are part of "the girls" bite me, the avengers are teen royalty because who else would they be, theres more relationships i just got lazy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 03:54:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10549644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monhale/pseuds/monhale
Summary: tony stark is head cheerleader, and his squad is the fiercest group of girls around.this is really just about how the girls help the football team court tony because he deserves it. coach thanos loves him too.





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> this is dedicated to the stinkos, thanks for inspiring this and making me giggle at midnight with the atrocities that are mentioned in the groupchat. kelli, queen of the groupchat, is acknowledged and loved even if she's a furry xx 
> 
>  
> 
> galaxy, gina, if you see this and decide to write me cracksmut let me know because you're my kinkparents and I'd be honored.

Bruce Banner looked over the equation in his notebook for the last time, trying to figure out where he went wrong. His head hurt. Even though he and Tony were arguably the smartest boys in school, when it came to cheerleading they often spent hours and hours rechecking the playbook to assure themselves they were being as accurate as possible. Hurdling through the air over other people’s bodies wasn’t exactly easy, and Bruce liked knowing he was helping keep Tony and the girls safe in whatever way he could. He rubbed at his temples. Honestly, if Tony weren’t on the squad, he wouldn’t be bothering. A voice in the back of his mind whispered, 'of course you would, because they’re your only friends.'  


“Heya, Bruce, what are you working on?” Jan Van Dyne plopped down on the seat next to him, ponytail swishing. She was wearing her uniform even though it wasn’t game day because she loved school spirit. In fact, Bruce liked to imagine Coach created the peppy girl in a lab somewhere; it was the only explanation as to why she was always so cheerful.  


“Stunts,” he answered, still trying to figure out how he could get Natasha to go under Tony without breaking her neck. “I can’t figure this out and I think I’m getting a headache.”  
Jan frowned, concern written over her features. “I don’t think I have any aspirin, but maybe Peg does. I’ll text her,” she leaned over and peered at his notes, “oh, and Bruce? You’re probably not going to find the answer on paper just yet. We’d have to try it first. Nat’ll be fine.” She was smiling again, fingers flying over her phone screen. “Peggy said there’s aspirin and water in your locker. She got you a fruit basket!”  
Bruce tilted his head in confusion, but Jan was already up and bouncing away with a, “See you at practice, Brucie!”

 

\-------------------------------------

Tony Stark sat in the middle of art class, bored out his mind. He just didn’t get it. It was beautiful, sometimes, and he could appreciate the time and skill it took to create the classics, but he didn’t understand it. Analyzing colors and techniques and intention weren’t his strong suits; he’d much rather spend the day tumbling, perfecting a stunt or planning a sleepover. But alas, he’d already failed art once before and this was his last chance before it messed up his GPA permanently. At least Nat was in this class.  


Speaking of, “Nat,” he whispered. “Naaaaaaaaaat-“  


“What,” she snapped, turning around and pursing her lips in annoyance. Tony knew she wasn’t really irked though; Natasha Romanov loved the cliché mean-cheerleader trope, and she did her best to maintain that image.  


“I don’t get it. Sit with me,” Tony whined. She usually switched off between Tony and a beefy blond on the football team, Steve and another, less beefy blond on the football team, Clint. Today was Steve’s day, and Tony knew he was probably being rude but Steve could sit with Clint. Nat was his only friend in this class.  


“Today I’m sitting with Steve,” she reminded him, not unkindly. Despite the impression most of the school was under, Nat was usually a sweetheart, especially to Tony and the few people she chose to become attached to. She, however, was frequently only a sweetheart behind closed doors, hence the impression most of the school was under. The point is, Tony knows she isn’t trying to hurt his feelings, but she’s not going to switch just because Tony asked her to.  


So he turned to smile charmingly at the other boy, the way he’d been taught usually gets him what he wants; big, semi-genuine, and playful. “You don’t care if I steal Nat for today, do you Steve?”  
Steve blushed, ducking his head and mumbling, “Go ahead, Tony, I don’t mind.”  


Tony furrowed his brow at the reaction, but shrugged and waved Nat over. She was going to die when he told her Beefcake Steve had a crush on her. But first, he was going to tell the rest of the girls, duh.


	2. chapter two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone except clint loves tony. clint observes the tomfoolery.

Clint Barton snorted at his friend’s sudden shyness. “How come you don’t let me get away with things, Steve? I gotta pretty smile too,” he teased. Steve elbowed him. They were on their way out of class, heading for lunch. This was Steve’s favorite part of the day. Aside from football, his greatest love was art (but mostly football because art didn’t give him the gift of seeing Tony in a skirt). Having his favorite class line up with lunch and his athletics hour meant he had three straight hours of fun.

“Shut it, or we’re running suicides at athletics AND practice,” he grumbled, but there was nothing to be done about how his cheeks had flushed cherry red. Clint pretended to shut his mouth and throw away the key, but the grin on his face told Steve the topic would be revisited soon. When they got to the Quad, the rest of the guys were already there. Sam Wilson reached out to bump his fist against his, and Clint took a seat next to Thor, who greeted them both enthusiastically. He had his arm wrapped around a sullen Loki, who was fiddling with the sleeve of his brother’s too-big varsity jacket.

Bucky Barnes nodded at them cordially, and James Rhodes grinned. Bruce was sitting with them today, which meant the cheerleaders hadn’t left campus for lunch like they sometimes did and would be joining them soon. Steve greeted everyone, and calmly dreaded his fate. Clint didn’t care if Tony heard him tease Steve, he was sure of it.

“The funniest thing happened today, guys, I’m serious-“ Clint began, but he was interrupted by T’Challa pulling up a chair, bags of Panera and Chinese takeout in his hands.

At the rest of the team’s questioning looks, he shrugged. His biceps flexed a little with the movement, and Steve swallowed back a smile at Sam’s expression. They’d been dancing around each other ever since T’Challa came back from apprenticing under his father in Wakanda. Sam had spent the whole summer at Steve’s basement, complaining to Thor endlessly while they played video games.

“Tony called me and asked if I could take care of lunch today,” he explained, handing out orders. They hung out so often that all the others knew everyone’s orders by heart. Steve watched as Sam’s expression went even more besotted. It was a commonly known fact that the entirety of the football team (minus Clint, who preferred underclassmen because he’s gross) was after Tony. James reached over, thanking T’Challa with a smile. Just as he sat back, Nat, Jan, and Sharon approached them, carrying matching gym bags and sipping from giant gas station cups. It was probably sweet tea. Jan smiled at everyone, and took a salad and sandwich from T’Challa. “Thank you, you’re so nice,” she gushed, and sat by Loki. The two had an unlikely friendship. Loki was often sullen and withdrawn, an introvert on his best days, while Jan was loud and indiscriminately friendly. It was probably expected that they balance each other out, but everyone still shot them bemused looks now and then.

The food was mostly sorted to their rightful owners by the time the rest of the squad showed up. Tony led the way, as usual, with Maria Hill and Peggy Carter flanking him, and Monica Hale trailing behind them, distracted by her phone. Maria was tying her hair up in a ponytail as she walked, and Tony was gesturing wildly, engrossed in explaining the physics behind the stunt he and Bruce were trying to figure out. Peggy was nodding along, bright smile in place as usual. Steve wondered briefly if she was really keeping up with Tony, then dismissed the thought. All the girls were brighter than they led people to believe. Just last week they’d roped the boys into a mass ACT prep group. Steve knew his friends weren’t stupid, but Tony and the girls spent the night helping them catch up regardless.

“Miss me?” Tony grinned, and James watched as the rest of his team gave a near-collective sigh, faces slightly awestruck. He understood the appeal. He and Tony knew each other since they were twelve, and James still couldn’t get over the all-around gift that was Tony Stark. He didn’t expect the boys to be any better, especially in high school. Tony had filled out in all the right places; defined biceps, a full mouth, a plump ass and great legs that were often showcased by his uniform. He’d also grown out his hair, and it curled around his ears in a way that made him seem angelic.

“Always,” he was the first to answer, and nearly laughed at the betrayed looks Bucky and Sam sent him. Oh well. He was Tony’s best friend, and they’d been going steady since last summer; he was allowed to be blatant about his affections. It wasn’t his fault the rest of those dumbasses never got their heads in the game. He always told them, but they never listened.

“Aw, honey bear,” Tony cooed, kissing T’Challa’s cheek in gratitude before sitting on James’ lap with his food. He might not have noticed the blush in the normally composed boy’s cheeks, but both James and Sam did. Clint shook his head at his teammates. They had the whole squad to choose from, and they all chose the same one. Tony was cuddled up with his head under James’ chin, talking quietly to Loki. Thor was wrapped around his brother, making heart eyes at Tony, too. Clint cleared his throat.

“So anyway, the funniest thing happened today-“ he began again, and Monica looked up from her phone, eyebrow arched. His phone lit up with a text message not two seconds later. **_Don’t you dare embarrass either of you friends like that, Barton_**.

He shrugged and decided to make fun of Steve in the locker room instead.


	3. chapter three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the squad bonds, and we get to know the younger girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is dedicated to the sweethearts who let me use them as character insp., and who give me cute headcanons, which I need to survive. also dedicated to my eight year old sister, who wanted a dedication.

Tony threw his head back in laughter, and the sun caught on the brown of his hair in a way that made it look gold. Across the parking lot, nine sweaty boys congregated around various cars, cooling down after practice. Eight of them were gazing dopily at where some of the cheerleaders were loading into their Range Rovers, a few of them dawdling and waiting for the rest of the squad. Clint was stretched out lazily on the hood of Bucky’s pickup truck.  
“You know, we’re going to have a sleepover at Tony’s tonight,” Nat mentioned, pausing on her way to the cars. Sharon stifled a giggle next to her girlfriend. Those two were always up to something.  
“Really,” Bucky leaned forward, charming grin already in place. Nat seemed to be the only person who didn’t cave to his every whim, and that just made him all the more eager to see her crack. Obviously he knew she and Sharon Carter were going to grow up to take over the world together, but Bucky was simply trying to get the girl to flirt with him, damn it. Everyone did at least once.  
“Yes,” Natasha deadpanned and Bucky sighed. She was no fun.  
“Do you think it’d be okay if we stopped by with dinner,” Steve asked, ever the gentleman.  
“Well, Tony’s parents won’t be home. You can drop by whenever,” Sharon confirmed, and Peter whooped. He loved Tony’s house, but he loved team nights at his house especially.  
Natasha rolled her eyes, and took Sharon’s hand in hers. “We’re going. Busy until seven or eight, text when you’re on the way.”  
“You never answer,” Clint called from his perch, and Nat snorted.  
“Text Monica then,” she retorted, and Sharon grinned, pulling her away. 

 

Liyah sat comfortably atop the marble countertop in Tony’s kitchen. Mr. Jarvis didn’t mind, and anyway he’d taken the day off. He usually did on cheer nights, because he knew Tony wouldn’t get into too much trouble with the girls holding him back. Well, some of the girls. Shari, Liyah, and Kelli usually just egged him on.  
“I think I need a massage,” Maria complained, and various girls voiced their agreement.  
Loki sat on the ground, letting Jan and Monica plait his hair while Sharon and Nat dug through the refrigerator and the pantry respectively. Peggy was chopping bell peppers and Tony was upstairs changing into some sweatpants. The rest were either already in their pajamas or enjoying the pool.  
It really only was six in the evening, but they’d just gone to get manicures and smoothies. Tony’s house was at the end of the street where they all lived, so usually they either stayed there, or hung out there since his house was the one most often vacated.  
“Do you think we could get the boys to do facemasks tonight?” wondered Monica, carefully tying up Loki’s hair before patting it gently, satisfied. Jan followed her lead, and they admired their handiwork before high-fiving. Loki rolled his eyes, but thanked them both quietly.  
“I bet if Tony asked, they’d do it,” Liyah commented, keeping her eyes on where she was dumping vegetables in a pan for Peggy. The girls decided to cook their own dinner, and have whatever the boys brought at midnight when they inevitably got hungry again. There were no restrictions on slumber party nights.  
“If Tony asked, they’d jump off a bridge,” said Kelli, picking a box of cookies from Sharon’s hand on her way out to the pool.  
Peggy smiled, and nudged Maria, who didn’t seem to find it funny. It wasn’t surprising; Maria hardly found anything funny. And if she did, she had a great poker face to hide it.  
“I’d like to braid Thor’s hair,” sighed Monica, gazing at Loki’s plaits longingly. Jan nodded excitedly.  
“Or Bucky’s!” contributed Shari, already besotted with the idea. The girls didn’t necessarily begrudge Tony the boys’ affections, but they all admitted their friends were pretty good-looking and it was fun to just spend time around cute boys sometimes. Of course, football players weren’t the only cute boys to ever exist, but nobody else seemed to be comfortable approaching them. It made their social circle unnecessarily small.  
Tony came into the kitchen, his pink robe fluttering behind him like a cape. He was only wearing the monogrammed bottoms Sharon had gifted him last year at Christmas, and fuzzy grey bunny slippers that used to belong to either Jan or Monica.  
The rest of the girls and Loki had matching pink robes, and they’d all usually end up looking like a Pepto-Bismol convention by the end of the night. 

 

“Food’s ready!” called Shari, sticking her head into the pool house before bouncing off to fetch Sharon, who was busy painting her toenails on the deck. There were very few sunny days left, so they soaked up the sun whenever possible.  
They all crowded around the island, where Maria and Peggy were finishing the stir fry. Peggy Carter was the oldest, a senior who was born late in the school year, so she was nineteen. She took her role as the mom friend pretty seriously, and most of their friends went to her for advice. Even then, Peggy was scarier than even Natasha when she wanted to be. Usually, people just thanked their lucky stars that she wasn’t often inclined.  
“I like your cooking better than my own mother’s, I think,” said Monica and Peggy only smiled, endeared.  
Liyah snorted. The two were closest in age, both juniors, so they hung out at each other’s homes most often. “Your mom doesn’t cook, Mon,” she reminded.  
“And that’s why I like Peg’s better, duh,” she said flippantly.  
Tony laughed, and made his way to the dining room balancing plates to set places.  
Loki brought glasses, and Shari took cutlery.  
They sat down and a few of them bent their heads to say grace silently while the others handed the food around. Soon, the table was filled with laughter and anecdotes, everyone catching each other up on what’d happened during the week.  
Half way through dinner, both Nat and Mon’s phones pinged with text messages. The boys were set to arrive in an hour.


	4. Chapter 4

“I don’t know if I should go,” confessed Pietro Maximoff, fiddling with the strap of the school-issued gym bag he’d thrown his night clothes into. He lived two streets over from Tony’s, and since he wasn’t allowed to drive without his sister, Sam was picking him up. Pietro was deliberating in the driveway, leaning against the driver’s side door.   
“Of course you should come, it’s a team night and you’re on the team,” said Steve, who was riding shotgun. The guy didn’t have a rude bone in his body, and Pietro was well aware that this could have been a pity invite coming from anyone else. But Steve Rogers wasn’t capable of being dishonest.   
“Yeah, but,” he protested, waving a hand to express his deliberation. “It’s like, you guys all know each other, and I’ll be the odd man out. I mean, I’ve never-“   
“Is this about the girls?” Sam interrupted, smirking. “Because you don’t have to be nervous; they’re nicer than people will lead you to believe.”   
It wasn’t that though, not really. Pietro heard horror stories, when his sister and he first transferred. The athletes and their cheerleading counterparts were revered as heroes and isolated themselves into a reclusive, elite group of teen queens and kings. Even when he knew the football players often hosted fundraisers and can drives, and the cheerleaders tutored other students and hosted blood drives every year, he couldn’t help but feel that he was toeing the line to a world he didn’t belong to.  
Wanda had always loved playing the outcast, and Pietro stood by his sister’s side in solidarity. When he tried out for the football team, it was only because he loved the game. He wasn’t expecting the so-called elitist kids to be so welcoming. Wanda cautioned him often, and he tried to heed her warnings, but everyone was so nice. It wasn’t that he was wary of the girls, or that they made him nervous. He just… One of them in particular unnerved him, made him stutter over his words like a fool. What kind of running back stumbled over his own two feet when a pretty girl cheered his name? He did, because he was a fool.   
“Pietro, are you there? Hello! Earth to Maximoff,” Sam was waving his hand in front of his face, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. “You coming or not, man?”   
Steve rolled his eyes at his friend, shoving him good-naturedly. “Quit it. Hop in, Pietro, it’ll be fun.”   
The sophomore shrugged, crawling into the backseat.   
“Besides, I’m sure Liyah will be happy to see you, too,” Steve added, trying to hide a smile at his red faced reaction. Pietro took it all back. Steve was definitely not the angel-haired sweetheart everyone proclaimed him to be. 

 

 

 

They all congregated at T’Challa’s, and Bucky was chatting amiably with his sister Shuri. She didn’t attend their high school; instead, she attended the private school T’Challa himself used to go to. The girl was pretty interesting. Instead of training under her father the way T’Challa did, Shuri was learning to be a body guard of sorts. The Dora Milaje was a much respected group of warriors in their home country, she told Bucky, and she hoped to join them one day.   
The rest of the guys were only waiting on Logan, who just needed to finish his shift at the mechanic’s before having the night free. 

 

“What should I wear,” fretted T’Challa, pacing back and forth in his bedroom. Peter Quill laughed, stretching out on his friend’s California King.   
“A suit and tie,” he teased, and T’Challa huffed. Of course not; Tony hated formalities and anything of the sort.  
“Just some nice jeans,” answered Sam, from where he was sprawled on the floor peering up at him. Bucky lay on his chest, content to have the other teen play with his hair.   
“That frame your assets, buddy,” Bucky added, and Peter lifted his head to check out his friend’s behind.   
“Not those,” he decided, and kicked at Clint when he tried to sit down. “Get your own super-rich friend’s bed, loser.”   
“I’m not super-rich,” T’Challa muttered, and Clint scoffed.   
“Dude, you’re the richest,” he confirmed and the other boy shrugged.   
“Our parents have money, we don’t,” he mused. “I don’t think it’s our money because we haven’t earned it the way they have.”  
Thor, who could relate best to T’Challa because his father was also a very important dignitary of some far-off country, hummed in thought. “I believe family money does go to first-born sons in the end, and we have trained under our fathers for our whole lives to be able to handle fortunes well. It’s rightfully ours.”   
“We have learned to handle countries, Thor, people, not only fortunes,” T’Challa reminded him, mild-mannered. The bigger boy only shrugged, and Peter sighed loudly. Before he could begin to complain, James cut in.   
“I don’t even know why we’re having this discussion. It’s not like we don’t take advantage of privilege every day, whether we know or want it or not.”   
Steve nodded, thinking of the weekends he spent at the youth center. “It’s not something we should be unaware of. Privilege, I mean. We have a duty to the less-fortunate.”   
Sam ruffled Bucky’s hair, who was quietly dozing already. “I have chosen well in white friends,” he teased, and everyone laughed. 

 

Logan got off work a little less than an hour later, being one of the few of them who managed to keep a steady job. His parents had instilled in him the value of hard work, and his job at the mechanic’s was not only his responsibility, but his pride and joy. Bucky worked there, too, but while they were both good at fixing things, Logan loved cars and genuinely enjoyed the gig.   
“You sure took your sweet time,” huffed Sam, and Logan rolled his eyes.   
“I’m putting in overtime,” he responded, and then, like a switch, grinned. “Bobby said he’ll make me floor manager if I keep up the good work.”   
Thor clapped him on the back. “That’s great, man! Congratulations,” he cheered, and the other guys echoed the sentiment. Logan loved Bobby’s shop, he deserved the position.   
“Man, if you’re my boss, I’ll quit. Hard-ass over here never cuts me any slack,” Bucky complained to Sam. He was laughing as he did, because he didn’t really mind. Logan was grumpy sometimes, sure, but he was a good friend.   
Logan shoved at him, grinning. “If I can make it to work on time, you can too. We have the same damn practice, pal.”   
Bucky laughed, jumping on his friend to ruffle Logan’s too-long hair. “I take a little more time to be pretty after practice, wolf-man. We’re not all pretty woodland princes by nature,” he goaded, but Logan only hiked him up higher on his back, making his way to Tony’s. T’Challa’s place was only a little uphill to the Stark’s, so it didn’t make sense to drive. The younger one, Pietro, was trailing behind them, and Logan kind of felt sorry for the kid. He was nervous, it was obvious, but Logan really wasn’t a feelings kind of guy, so he goofed off with Bucky and Sam, and let Steve comfort the rookie.   
Thor and T’Challa were carrying Peter on their shoulders for some reason, and Clint was busy recording the spectacle. By the time they arrived at Tony’s, everyone was in near-hysterics, and they’d barely composed themselves when Peggy opened the front door, letting them inside.


	5. chapter five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> plans are set in motion, and one of the girls is hiding something.
> 
>  
> 
> as always, thanks to liyah for helping me think this out, and the cutest prom piece for this 'verse. thanks to kelli, who helped me figure out dynamics and thanks to the whole gc for being funny and cute and nice. lots of love.

“We’ve already eaten,” Peggy told them, and the boys only shrugged. They weren’t really hungry either, having eaten when they were waiting on Logan.  
“It’s alright. We’ll go get something if anyone gets hungry later,” promised James.  
“Cool. Everyone’s down this way,” answered Peg, leading them up the spiraling staircase that led to the Stark’s attic. The place was huge, decked out with sofas, gaming systems, and a pin ball machine. Tony’s parents had built it in when he was in ninth grade and began making friends, wanting him to have a cool place to entertain.  
“Hi guys!” greeted Tony, sitting cross-legged on the ground and rummaging through board games. As tech-savvy as he was, most of his favorite pastimes were traditional-- other than, y’know, building robots.  
“Hey, Tones,” James crossed the room to give him boyfriend a kiss, and Peter settled next to Tony, offering up his cheek for Tony to kiss. The boy giggled but obliged, and Peter winked at Steve, whose ears were red.  
“We’re late because of Logan,” announced Bucky, still on his friend’s back. He dropped Bucky on his ass at that, and Thor rumbled with laughter. Logan flopped down on the couch across from Tony, taking up the whole thing.  
“You could’ve gone ahead without me,” he grumbled, and Tony grinned up at him. He loved Logan’s attitude, though most outside their friend group found it off-putting.  
“I would’ve kicked them out if they’d shown up without you,” assured Tony, just to watch the skin under Logan’s stubble go scarlet. 

 

Pietro looked around the room. The girls were scattered around the room, but the girl he liked was only a few feet away. She was stretched out on a beanbag, texting maybe, eyes locked on her phone. Curled next to her was one of Tony’s pets, a robot dog named Dum-E, and she was petting him distractedly.  
Jan tapped him on the shoulder. She was one of the senior girls, and from what Pietro knew of her, she was pretty bubbly. “Hi! Welcome to Tony’s house, I’m your host because Tony knows how much I love it! My name’s Jan, and if you need anything, just let me know. Do you want anything to drink? Eat?” Her eyes flickered to Liyah, “Anyone to talk to?” He shook himself out of his reverie and looked away.  
“I’m fine, thank you,” he declined, as politely as he could. She only smiled. After a moment, she stared at him before seemingly making up her mind about something.  
“She’s really nice, you know. Go make a new friend,” she encouraged before flitting away to talk to Monica Hale, who was flipping through a magazine with Harry Styles on the cover. At least someone here knows him personally, his traitorous mind bet. Of course. 

 

“Okay! Since we are all great kids who would never disappoint their parents by taking part in underage drinking,” Monica began, and Tony giggled. Maybe joking about their shared stint with borderline alcoholism was in bad taste, but that’s how they talked about it. Oh well. “We will all be relaxing by doing face-masks and playing Steve’s old guy music. Peer massage is optional but encouraged because my back hurts after someone,” at this she looked accusingly at Jan, “dropped me at practice.”  
Jan’s jaw dropped in offense. “That was not my fault! And you were like, only ten feet off the ground, shut up, Honeybee,” she rambled. The other girl was appeased easily at the nickname. Jan was known around campus as Wasp, and while it was a misnomer because she was such a sweetheart, ‘Honeybee’ was not. The two had found a kinship so deep that Jan decided Monica needed a cute animal nickname, and the latter’s fondness for sweets and flowers was the root of it. If Monica was to be placated (and she usually needed to be, as she was often worked up about something or other), it was by sweet talk.  
“It still hurt,” the shorter teen said petulantly. She brightened quickly, though. “Anyway, choose your mask at the table Jan, Tony and I set up and there’s essential oils and stuff! There’s snacks off to the side, and according to the chart, it is Nat’s turn to choose the movie. And no complaining if it’s not in English, please.” She clapped her hands together. “Okay, let Team Night commence!” 

“Is she always like this?” Pietro wondered aloud to himself, stunned.  
Peggy Carter’s gazed zeroed in on him and she arched an eyebrow in challenge. Bucky noticed and stepped in her line of sight, his arm around Pietro’s shoulders.  
“Word of advice, kid? If it’s not praise coming out of your mouth, don’t open it,” he said, mouth set in a teasing smirk. The look in his eyes said something completely different. “Especially in front of Peg, and especially about those three,” Bucky tipped his head in the direction of Jan, Monica, and Tony, who were crowded around Thor. Monica sat in his lap, applying some green gunk on his face while Tony and Jan put clips in his hair, which had somehow been styled into space buns.  
“Can I put this on his beard?” she asked, and Thor shrugged while the rest of the girls shouted “No, Mon!” from various spots in the room.  
“I think it’ll be hard to wash out, Hon,” Jan mollified when she pouted at being shouted at.  
She nodded, patting Thor’s beard softly. The guy was eighteen with a full beard, it was magical. Of course she wouldn’t mess it up on purpose.  
Pietro stuttered out, “T- That’s not what I meant, I mean I just- she’s very bubbly and-,” Maria Hill made her way over to them, carrying her mask bowl and brush and a book.  
“Don’t worry about it. Peg’s just really protective. I know you didn’t mean anything by it, did you?” she questioned, eyes narrowing at the last bit.  
“No, of course not,” he assured her, and wondered briefly if he was going to have to walk on eggshells around here.  
“Great,” she answered, setting her things down and beginning to pull her long hair into a braid. “I’ll tell P to lay off, don’t worry,” Bucky assured him and Maria laughed. 

 

Bucky was having his hair braided after a few minutes of cajoling. Shari was running her fingers through his hair carefully, and Kelli lay upside down on the sofa, competing with Peter and Clint about who could manage it the longest. Sam and Steve were sitting on the floor in front of them, judging the competition. Tony sat on James’ butt, giving his boyfriend a massage. T’Challa was keeping up a steady conversation with him, running his hand over James’ buzzed hair occasionally.  
Sharon was doing her girlfriend’s mask while Nat herself ate fruit and watched her (Russian) spy film. Gina and Em were playing Chutes and Ladders with Bucky and Logan, who cursed every time he got a chute.  
“I always enjoy your choices, Natasha,” praised Loki quietly from where he was curled up with a wool blanket, Bruce’s head on his lap. He was scratching his baby pink nails through the other boy’s curls while he slept and looked a few minutes from dozing himself.  
Nat smiled at him, “Thanks, Lo.” Few people kept their complaints to themselves whenever it was her turn to choose, so it was nice to hear someone actually like one of her favorite films. 

 

Liyah sat down next to Tony, asking quietly to have a word with him. He nodded, brows furrowed in concern. Liyah wasn’t quiet, and she definitely wasn’t one to speak to one of them individually instead of the whole team. There weren’t any secrets between them, they were sisters.  
Jan elbowed Monica as Liyah and Tony headed out, and they shared a look. Something was going on, alright.  
Kelli sat up, face red, but triumphant. “I won,” she cheered, and Peter rolled his eyes but high-fived her anyway.  
“You know,” said Sharon, leaning forward. “I have an idea. We’ve, along with everyone with eyes, have noticed you guys pining after Tony.”  
The boys sighed. James sat up, pulling his shirt on. “I keep telling them,” he complained.  
“And we’ve decided we’re going to help,” continued Jan, excited. “So, girls, pick a boy and set about planning.”  
“On your own time, obviously,” piped up Maria, “but each one of us will help one of you. Or two, I guess,” she said when she noticed there were less cheerleaders than boys.  
“So, I obviously choose my honey Thor,” said Monica. The two were close, primarily because Monica thought giant guys were cute and Thor didn’t mind being someone’s personal cuddle fix. It was cute, even if people assuming their relationship status was kind of annoying. Neither of the two was romantically inclined towards the other, no matter how many times their parents speculated and suggested the opposite.  
“I guess I’ll put up with Peter,” Kelli teased, and laughed when the boy wiggled his eyebrows at her.  
“I call the Brooklyns!” squealed Shari, at the same time that Gina and Em called, “Logan’s on our team!”  
Natasha eyed Bruce’s sleeping form. “I call that one,” she announced. “We’re totally going to win.”  
“It’s not a competition,” Jan reminded, before sitting next to Sam. “You wanna be partners, Sammy?”  
“Sure,” he agreed, and blushed when Jan leaned forward to promise him she’d help him out with T’Challa, too.  
Maria and Peggy chose T’Challa, and since Liyah wasn’t in the room, Monica decided she’d help her out with Thor. James didn’t get any help because he was already the love of Tony’s life, and Loki didn’t feel like getting involved anyway. Sharon decided she’d be extra help to anyone who needed it, and would probably referee the progress so anyone didn’t end up with their feelings hurt.  
“Is everyone satisfied with their cupids?” asked Sharon, and when none of the boys complained, she nodded in satisfaction.  
“As usual, the girls are running our lives,” commented Clint.  
“Don’t worry Pietro, we’ll put in a good word for Liyah too,” assured Sharon, and Nat snorted at the look on his face.  
“You didn’t think we missed that, did you?” she laughed. He only shrugged.  
“I hoped you would. But thank you,” he answered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I think I need all the help I can get.”  
T’Challa nodded along, face somber. “We all do.”  
“How love makes a fool,” Thor agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liyah has written the cutest companion piece to this. Find it at http://archiveofourown.org/works/10684281?


	6. chapter six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Liyah have a conversation and we get insight on both cheerleaders' insecurities.

“What’s happening?” Tony questioned as soon as they’d found gotten to a room with a door lock. This particular guest room was usually inhabited by his British friend, so it was furnished to fit her tastes. He was curled up on the white duvet while she was perched in front of the vanity, brushing her hair.   
“I have a problem,” she confessed.   
“Well, obviously. But why aren’t we all speaking about this?”   
Liyah ducked her head, embarrassed. “I don’t want to say anything just yet because it really is nothing, you see? But do you know Pietro has a massive crush on me, yeah?”   
Tony grinned. “Everyone knows Pietro has feelings for you.”   
“Well, I was considering it. Like, I like him, you know? But he’s so,” she shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. “His sister is a bitch. I’ve already got so many things on my plate, I’m not certain I can juggle Student Government, cheer, writing, apps, and a boyfriend. And, and what if it’s not even worth it Tony? What if I tell everyone and we end up being a disaster and the girls are all so protective they’ll murder him and any one of the boys that stands up for him and then all our friendships will be screwed.”   
He couldn’t help the way his eyes rolled. He took a breath, letting himself sigh a bit dramatically. So what, he lived for his theatrics.   
“It sounds,” and he didn’t even look away from where his gaze was tracing the crown molding of the ceiling, “like you are making excuses. Yeah, Wanda is a bitch. But you’re not going to be dating her. In fact, I can almost guarantee you that she will not even be there for, say, eighty two percent of your relationship. And if you are balancing all that already, what’s a boy going to do to break it? And if you end up being a disaster, you’re a disaster and we can handle that problem if and only if it ever arises. You’re always going to have the doubt if you don’t do it.”   
She nodded, her expression pensive. Tony let the silence linger, comfortable while he let his friend think.   
“What are you going to do?”   
“About?”   
Liyah snorted indelicately. “Tony, don’t be obtuse. I know you’ve noticed how almost every boy on the football team lusts after you.”  
His chest rose and fell, breaths even as he hesitated.   
“I’m with James,” he finally said, voice quiet but filled with conviction. “Nothing is worth losing him.”   
Tony was serious. James was the love of his life. No matter who came or went, flitted in and out of his life, James was his constant. Not only that, he was Tony’s rock, his biggest supporter, the only person who could make Tony open up without fear, without hesitance. James made him feel like he could look at the worse things in his life and laugh. They called him crazy, even James himself sometimes looked at Tony incredulously when he mentioned it, but Tony knew he and James were going to be together forever. They were made to complement each other. Tony was going to marry him.   
“Are you sure you’re not even slightly tempted?”   
“They’re just boys. They’re my friends, sure, but James… he’s everything. He’s my future. I’m not tempted, no, because even if I am fond of the boys, I am in love with James. I’m going to be Mr. Rhodes one day.”   
She laughed, eyes crinkling. Tony didn’t mind. He was used to the reaction, even if he knew she wasn’t being mean-spirited. Not a lot of people took him seriously when it came to this.   
“Sure, Tony. Just give a chance though, okay?”


	7. chapter seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I write as a form of coping, so it's inevitable that my stories get a little serious. Trigger warning in this chapter for discussions of alcoholism.

They decided to hold a meeting at Madeleine’s, since it was the closest café that actually served what everyone liked. Monica was the first to arrive, seeing as she’d arranged the meeting. Plus, she hated staying home so she was always there anyway.   
“Can I have a Truffle, a blueberry muffin, and,” Monica paused, fiddling with her ring as she hesitated, “actually I think that’s it, thank you.”   
The boy behind the counter raised an eyebrow. “It’s ten a.m.”   
“I’m aware,” she answered, pulling two twenties from her wallet.   
“Fourteen dollars even,” he answered, still looking very judge-y. She sighed, and settled by a big window to wait for her vodka. 

 

Thor was the next to arrive, and his hair was pulled back in a low bun, loose bangs held back by Ray-Bans. His eyes immediately traced the two long-stemmed glasses before her, a frown gracing his features.   
“It doesn’t count if it’s coffee,” she said, still picking at her muffin, avoiding his gaze.   
“Do you,” he began, before cutting himself off abruptly. “Your parents are gone. I will come over tonight.”   
Monica only blinked up at him. For a second, he saw the vulnerability there, but it was gone quickly. When she saw Sam’s car pulling in, she immediately stood up, glasses in hand, and took them to the counter herself. By the time he came in, she was seated with a glass of orange juice next to her food.   
“Hey you guys,” Sam greeted, smiling easily. He was wearing a very flattering shade of salmon, she noted approvingly.   
Beaming at him, she asked, “How’s it going, Sammy?”  
Thor himself greeted him, eyes still on his best friend. He wished he didn’t understand how quickly her demeanor had changed, but he’d witnessed it too often to not know what it was. It seemed stupid and arrogant to say out loud, but they were always being watched. By their peers, by their parent’s friends, by random people who wanted a scandal; he knew exactly why and how she switched off so suddenly.   
“Good,” he answered, taking a seat and waiving a barista over. “I’m kind of excited for this to be honest,” he confessed.   
Tucking strands of newly-blonde hair behind her ears, she gave him a conspiratory grin. “I’m sure my honey and I will bury you, but I’m glad to hear your enthusiasm!”   
He rolled his eyes, and Thor only laughed.   
Kelli came in next, jingling her keys with a spring in her step. “Guess who got her Mercedes back!” she announced, and Monica laughed. The car had been in the shop because K got distracted and rear-ended some guy on accident.   
Soon everyone had arrived and Sharon cleared her throat after everyone had settled their assorted drinks and breakfasts in front of them. “Hello everyone, I’m glad to see everyone taking this seriously,” she welcomed, “so the way I was thinking of doing this was making a schedule of who gets what day. Once your day is assigned, you can choose to switch off with someone else only if an emergency comes up. James has the right to be with Tony during any of your days, but not to interrupt your plans. Nobody is allowed to badmouth any of the others, and no sabotage will be tolerated.”   
“Pro tip,” Monica spoke up from where she sat in Thor’s lap, latte in hand, “if you are trying to woo Tony, you’re going to have to impress James, too, whether you’re into him romantically or not.”   
“He’s kind of hot,” admitted Logan, and Liyah’s jaw dropped. Monica’s pretty sure Loki’s eyes glazed over at the imagery, and Thor’s hand tightening on her thigh told her what he thought of the idea.   
“Kind of?” T’Challa scoffed. “James Rhodes is definitely Top Five Hot.”   
Bucky groaned. “I’m already lusting after too many guys, why are you giving me ideas,” he complained.   
“I wholeheartedly approve of whatever is going on in your brain,” Kelli told Steve, who looked like he was going to have a conniption. His ears, as usual, turned lobster red as he sank down in his seat.

 

After the calendar was decided on, everyone went their separate ways. It was Saturday, but there wasn’t practice and everyone was free to do their own thing. Thor and Loki were going over to Monica’s, Nat and Sharon had a date, Peter was planning his date, Sam, T’Challa, and Bucky had a video game night, Steve and Peggy were hanging out because Maria was exhausted and wanted to sleep the day away, and Logan decided he’d accompany James on the ATVs at his family’s ranch. Tony was busy in his workshop, so he wanted to be left alone until it was time for his evening with Peter. Kelli and Liyah were doing something at Liyah’s house, and the rest of the girls went to see a film. 

 

golden boy: hey babe, Lo and I are outside   
me: door’s open, you know the gate code. I’m in the library

Thor always thought Monica’s house was more of a reflection of her than her parents. The spacious rooms were all white, sunshine filtering in through gigantic windows. The furniture was colorful and there were plants everywhere. From the few times he’d met her parents he knew they weren’t cheerful people. They also weren’t involved; often relinquishing control and responsibility to their daughter, they were more guests in the house than inhabitants of it.   
The library was also a Monica thing; filled with books of every kind and organized haphazardly, it was where she spent most of her time. The dogs, Stas and Apollo, greeted the brothers at the door and led them back to their owner. Monica was sitting with Mis the cat on her shoulders, her Mac open on her lap.   
“I brought along Lo,” Thor warned as he sat down on the spacious yellow couch. He’d helped bring it in here himself last summer, back when she was attempting to get her parents’ attention by redecorating the place.   
“Thanks,” she sighed, closing the laptop and reaching around to grab the grey cat. Artemis was a Siberian snow cat, a gift from her mother when she remembered her birthday two weeks late. Both Stas and Apollo were apology gifts too, but Apollo was an Australian Shepherd given after another stunt in rehab and Anastasia was a Doberman received after a summer alone when her parents were in Aruba or something.   
Loki held his arms open for Mis and she jumped into his arms without hesitance. The cat, like most of its kind, was uppity and turned her nose up at anyone without similar demeanor. Loki was her favorite, aside from T’Challa who had a Pied Piper thing going on with every cat he’d ever met, and she seemed to tolerate Thor because he bribed her with treats. Lo settled on the ground, Mis in his lap, while Stas and Apollo hopped up on the couch where Monica was sprawled in a beige sweater and jeans.   
“Those are interesting,” Loki complimented, tracing the embroidery on the thigh with a fingertip.   
“Thanks,” she hummed, reaching for a catalog behind her before handing it to him. “Last season Gucci.”   
He flipped through the catalog in interest, while Thor reached over to bring Monica closer. She settled between his legs, back to his chest. Apollo and Stas were piled on top of each other on the other end of the couch, Stas happily chewing on one of the pom poms from a navy throw cushion.  
“You wanna talk about this morning,” he questioned. She sighed.   
“Not particularly, no,” she denied. Thor huffed. When she made no move to speak, he grumbled low in his throat.   
“I walked in on you two vodkas deep,” he recalled. Lo’s eyebrow twitched, but he kept his gaze firmly on the glossed pages. His pink-tipped fingers were running through Mis’s fur, only twitching slightly when he heard.   
“Wasn’t two bottles hardly,” she countered. “Two Truffles on a Saturday, Thor; next you’re going to be telling me I can’t have mimosas at brunch.”   
“You can’t,” he scowled.   
“Who died and made you my doctor?”   
“Nobody, but I am and always have been your friend. And as your friend, I’m telling you that it’s a slippery slope. Have you been drinking again?”   
She stiffened. “Aside from the Truffles, you mean? Sure, I had about two bottles of tequila last night. Drunk myself into a fuckin’ stupor,” she drawled.   
Loki finally looked up then, and when he saw that she was being sarcastic and getting riled up, carefully put Mis on the ground.   
“Nobody is accusing you of anything,” Loki reminded her. “We don’t want you doing anything you’ll regret.”   
Monica stood up, carefully disentangling from her dogs. When she was up, she began to pace in bare feet, fingers clutching a Tiffany locket. Loki had a matching one, and so did Tony. Lo’s fingers went to his own at the sight.   
“I appreciate the gesture. But this feels less like friendly concern and more like I’m being cornered,” she admitted. “I’ve been mostly sober for months. I didn’t think a fuckin’ Truffle would cause me to fall off the wagon. It didn’t. It’s not a bottle. It’s not a bar on Monday. I haven’t sat on a ledge. I feel like I’ve been doing well. And no offense, but you showing up here makes me feel like shit.”   
“I didn’t mean it to come off that way,” Thor apologized. “You and Lo are the most important people in my life. I just couldn’t stand by when I thought you weren’t okay.”   
“I’m sure you couldn’t. But T,” she said, “Please don’t think I’m not trying. You won’t ever be right.”   
He nodded. “Noted. I love you, and I’m proud of you. I apologize again,” he said, and Monica laughed. The sound wasn’t one of joy, but it was only vaguely hysterical. The brothers counted it as a win.   
She launched herself at him, confident in his ability to catch her. He did, as always. Loki took a seat to wait patiently for the emotional things to end. He knew that, while no secrets were kept from the team or the squad, there were certain things that only they spoke about, things Monica entrusted only to the Odinsons. The struggle with this addiction was one of them; this wasn’t the first time Loki watched as his friend clung to his brother, wasn’t the first time he sat to the side as he contemplated their nature. Thor was gentle, Monica was a people pleaser, and Loki himself was an introvert. They bonded over their flaws, kept close to their chests and hidden behind mansion walls, but also over their triumphs. Loki’s anxiety, Thor’s struggle with education, and Monica’s vices were all topics of late nights and early mornings. Their recoveries and their awards were always showcased, always printed on some gossip magazine, but this was theirs. This bond, this love was only between them, and it was a great thing to fall back on.


End file.
